Category 1
What was the Supreme Court ruling that determined that "separate but equal" schools were unconstitutional and therefore illegal?
Brown v. Board of Education
Melba was selected by the principal of Central High to attend the school. True or False?
False. She signed up for the process herself without her parent's knowledge.
Governor Faubus's attempt to block integration was called ______________ by the media.
What was the name of the woman who accused Emmett Till of flirting/whistling at her?
Carolyn Bryant
Despite the abuses they faced daily, why were the Little Rock Nine discouraged from complaining or even telling the truth to anyone about their experiences at Central High?
The NAACP wanted to portray segregation as successful to advance the civil rights movement
Any "weakness" would be seen as further reason to discriminate against African Americans
1954
Cincinnati, Ohio
________________ was an attorney for the NAACP who represented the families of students wanting to attend Central High. He is considered a key figure in the desegregation of Central High School and a leader in the civil rights movement.
Thurgood Marshall. He went on to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
What were the roles of the Arkansas National Guard and the 101st Airborne during the first few days of the Little Rock Crisis?
Arkansas National Guard - deployed by Governor Faubus to keep the Little Rock Nine from entering Central High School
101st Airborne - deployed by President Eisenhower in response to Governor Faubus's attempt to block students. They were sent to protect the Little Rock Nine.
Melba's close relationship with this family member gives her strength and guidance during this intensely difficult period in her life.
Grandma India
In what year did Central High School open its doors to African American students?
1957, three years after the Supreme Court ruling
What was the term for people who opposed integration?
Segregationist
What is the NAACP and why was it important in the desegregation movement?
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is a civil rights organization founded in 1909 to oppose racial discrimination.
The efforts of the NAACP challenged federal courts and helped the passage of major civil rights legislation of the era like the Civil Rights Act of 1957 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
African Americans in Melba's community (her neighborhood, church, social circle) were extremely supportive of her efforts to integrate Central High School. True or False?
Despite the many indignities that Melba endured at Central High, Grandma India reminded Melba that it was "her turn to carry the banner" and encouraged her to continue.
In your own words, describe what this means.
"Carrying the banner for African American" means that Grandma India understood painful sacrifices needed to be made in order to improve the future for "our people." Equal access to education was a major battle that needed to be fought and her family wanted her to focus on that goal instead of her personal pain.
What was the name of the governor of Arkansas who tried to defy the President and the Supreme Court in his attempts to block integration of Little Rock high schools?
Orval Faubus
This civil rights activist selected the students who would attend Central High and served as their leader during the integration process.
Daisy Bates
He was a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago who was visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955.
After being accused of offending a white woman in a store, Emmett was abducted from his family's home and lynched.
The Little Rock Nine was unable to enter the building on the planned first day of school due to the angry mobs. What was the name of the student who walked up to the entrance alone due to a miscommunication with the group?
Elizabeth Eckford. The group planned to meet at a different location beforehand but her family didn't have a phone, and Elizabeth never got the message.
How old was Melba during the events of the Little Rock Crisis?
She was 15.
Who was the president of the United States during Melba's time at Central High school?
Dwight D. Eisenhower
The group of African American students who were the first to attend Central High were given this nickname by journalists.
The "Little Rock Nine"
What is lynching?
The illegal killing of someone outside of the judicial system.
Elizabeth Eckford faced unspeakable hostility and racism as she attempted to enter the school for her first day.
What was the name of the white student who shouted slurs at her? This interaction is now immortalized in an iconic photograph illustrating the many trials of the civil rights movement.
Hazel Massery
Melba's exposure to the press during this time led to what positive outcome?
She became a journalist. Journalists of the time treated her with respect - "as an equal" - and this sparked an interest that became her career.